I PERCEPTIONS of PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT at BILKENT
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PERCEPTIONS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT BILKENT UNIVERSITY FACULTY ACADEMIC ENGLISH PROGRAM A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY PINAR ESMA ÖNKOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES FEBRUARY 2011 i Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences _____________________ Prof. Dr. Meliha ALTUNIŞIK Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. _____________________ Prof. Dr. Ali YILDIRIM Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. _____________________ Prof. Dr. Meral AKSU Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Ali YILDIRIM (METU, EDS) ____________________ Prof. Dr. Meral AKSU (METU, EDS) ____________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet OK (METU, EDS) ____________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayşegül DALOĞLU (METU, FLE) ____________________ Assist. Prof. Dr. Esed YAĞCI (HU, EDS) _____________________ ii I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name: Pınar Esma ÖNKOL Signature: iii ABSTRACT PERCEPTIONS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT BILKENT UNIVERSITY FACULTY ACADEMIC ENGLISH PROGRAM Önkol, Pınar Esma Ph.D., Department of Educational Sciences Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Meral Aksu February 2011, 264 pages Considering the current demands of our global world, there is a need for educating students equipped with diverse and complex qualities. In order to educate well- equipped students and sustain quality education, teachers and teacher educators have to be keeping themselves up-to-date and develop themselves professionally. The primary aim of this study is to explore English instructors’ understanding of professional development through the use of phenomenological research methodology. The data sources were instructors and administrators working at Faculty Academic English Program at Bilkent University. The data collection method was semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. The findings of the study indicated that participants see professional development as a means of individual development, as a means of institutional development and as a source of developing community and environment. The study also revealed that the instructors preferred informal modes of professional development activities to formal ones. Participants of the study overall reflected their agreement on the positive contribution of course design on their professional development, autonomy and self-growth. Keywords: Professional Development, English Language Instructor, Phenomenological Research, English for Academic Purposes iv ÖZ BİLKENT ÜNİVERSİTESİ FAKÜLTE AKADEMİK İNGİLİZCE PROGRAMINDAKİ PROFESYONEL GELİŞİM ALGILARININ İNCELENMESİ Önkol, Pınar Esma Doktora, Eğitim Bilimleri Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Meral Aksu Şubat 2011, 264 sayfa Globalleşen dünyamızın değişen değerleri düşünüldüğünde, günümüzün bireylerinden beklenenler daha kapsamlı ve farklı bir hal almıştır. Değişen dünya değerlerine ayak uydurabilmeleri için öğrencileri birçok konuda donanımlı, bilgili ve kaliteli bir biçimde yetiştirebilmek için eğitimcilere de çok iş düşmektedir. Eğitimcilerin hem yakın çevrelerindeki hem de dünyadaki değişiklikleri yakın takip etmeleri, hem kendi alanlarında hem de diğer alanlarda kendilerini sürekli olarak değiştirmeleri, yenilemeleri ve eğitmeleri gerekmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı görüngüsel yaklaşımı (fenomenoloji) kullanarak İngilizce okutmanlarının profesyonel gelişimlerini nasıl algıladıklarını incelemektir. Çalışmanın örneklemini Bilkent Üniversitesi Fakülte Akademik İngilizce Programı’nda görev yapmakta olan İngilizce okutmanları ve yöneticileri oluşturmaktadır. Veri toplama yöntemi yüzyüze yapılan yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmelerden oluşmaktadır. Çalışmanın sonuçları göstermektedir ki, katılımcılar profesyonel gelişimi hem bireysel gelişimleri hem de çalışmakta oldukları eğitim kurumları ve içinde yaşadıkları toplumu geliştirmek için bir araç olarak gördüklerini ifade etmişlerdir. Çalışmanın sonuçları ayrıca göstermiştir ki, araştırmaya katılan İngilizce okutmanları informal profesyonel gelişim aktivitelerini formal olanlara tercih ettiklerini belirtmişlerdir. Ayrıca, katılımcıların çoğunluğu derslerinde v kullandıkları okuma parçalarını kendilerinin seçmelerini ve sınıf içi materyalleri kendilerinin geliştirmeleri profesyonel gelişimleri ve özerklikleri açısından oldukça yararlı bulduklarını dile getirmişlerdir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Profesyonel Gelişim, İngilizce Okutmanı, Fenomenoloji (Görüngüsel Yaklaşım), Akademik İngilizce Öğretimi vi To my beloved parents Hasan and Nesrin Önkol vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First of all, I would like to express my gratitude and sincere appreciation to my respected advisor Prof. Dr. Meral Aksu for her guidance, support and patience throughout the course of this study. Without her continuous encouragement and guidance, this thesis would never be complete. I would also like to thank to the thesis examining committee members Prof. Dr. Ali Yıldırım, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Ok, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Daloğlu and Assist. Prof. Dr. Esed Yağcı for their invaluable insights and recommendations during the process of this dissertation. I would also like to express my gratitude to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gary Grossman and his beloved wife Jeni Grossman (“Jeni anne”) who not only encouraged me throughout this long journey but also opened their home during my stay in Arizona State University (ASU) as a visiting scholar. Without Dr. Grossman’s encouragement and belief in me I would never be able to develop myself professionally and have the opportunity to teach at undergraduate and graduate courses at ASU. While I was pursuing my studies, I had the opportunity to learn from the pioneers in the field such as Prof. Dr. Fersun Paykoç, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Ok, Prof. Dr. Ali Yıldırım and Prof. Dr. Hasan Şimşek who not only shared their expertise but also become great role models to me. I would also like to send my sincere thanks to my dear friend Ayşegül Mısırlı Özsoy who supported me at hard times and showed her true friendship when I needed it the most. I appreciate her time and energy that she stole from her son by offering help during the pilot and data analyses processes of this study. Without her help and support I would not be able to continue with my studies. viii I gratefully would like to thank my colleagues and administrators at Bilkent University who kindly agreed to take part in the study, and offered their invaluable time and insights. I would also like to thank Dr. Meltem Eney who encouraged me to carry out a research study in the FAE Program. I gratefully dedicate this dissertation to my beloved parents Nesrin and Hasan Önkol who taught me that education is the only capital for a woman, and thank them for their encouragement and financial support from my kindergarden education throughout my graduate studies. I also appreciate the support provided by my brother Çağlar Önkol and my beloved grandparents Nermin and Süleyman Katırcı. Thank you for everything you have done for me so that I become a better person. Finally, I would like to send my deepest appreciation to Kanat Yedier who offered his eternal love and support even at highly stressful times when my patience was wearing out. Without his support and encouragement I would never consider applying to METU research assistantship and began my doctoral studies. I would like to thank him for always believing in me and broadening my horizons in life with his never ending energy, joy and humor. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM………………………………………………………………… iii ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………… iv ÖZ……………………………………………………………………………… v DEDICATION………………………………………………………………… vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………….. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS.…..…………………………………………………. x LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………….. xiv LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………… xv CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………… 1 1.1. Background to the Study…………………………………………... 1 1.2. Purpose of the Study………………………………………………. 10 1.3. Significance of the Study………………………………………….. 13 1.4. Definition of Terms……………………………………………….. 14 2. LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………… 17 2.1. Conceptual Framework of Teacher Professionalism……………… 17 2.1.1. Professionalism in the Teaching Profession………………... 17 2.1.2. Teaching and Other Professions……………………………. 18 2.1.3. Some Key Terms Used in Teacher Professional Development………………………………………………... 21 2.2. Professional Development Activities…………………………….. 26 2.3. Contribution of Professional Development on the Individual, Organization and Society…………………………………………. 30 2.3.1. Professional Development and Individual Development….. 30 2.3.2. Professional Development and Organizational Development……………………………………………….. 34 2.3.3. Professional Development and Student Achievement……... 37 x 2.3.4. Professional Development and Development of Society….. 37 2.3.5. Professional Development and Policy and Change Efforts... 40 2.4. Organizational Factors Contributing to Teacher Professional Development……………………………………………………… 40 2.4.1. Contextual Factors…………………………………………. 40 2.4.2. Role of Leaders in Teacher